Monday, May 21, 2007

Walking

Walking interests me. I was somewhere recently watching people walk. They were going everywhere in all directions. People, young and old were finding the need to be somewhere else. Some desires were intense while others were more casual.

We don’t even think about walking unless we for some reason can’t do it. My father spent the last fifteen years of his life in a wheel chair. He told me he often dreamt of walking. He would wake with momentary joy thinking he actually did walk again, but realized the reality when the dream faded as he awoke.

I once spent some time with friends who had just finished medical school. As we drove through the city they would discuss the pathology of people walking down the street. You can tell a lot about people by the way they walk.

Walking as a biped is interesting. You actually lean and fall forward and then you catch yourself quickly with another foot. Continuing with the momentum you lean forward and begin another fall and catch your self with your other foot.

The first steps of a toddler are magical. You can actually see them get it and they keep improving their skills and learn to run and eventually dance.

Sometimes I stand back and look at the patterns of my walking on the dew sprinkled lawn while doing my morning chores. There is a lot of coming and going. Animal tracks in the snow are always interesting as well. Rarely ever a direct line is seen. Meandering is the way of like with animals as well. It reminds me of the comic strip "Family Circus" where the cartoon shows the varried path of children as they go about their day. A straight line is never seen.

9 Comments:

I was told by the last orthopedist I visited that I should quit taking my daily walks, which would help my knees to last longer (arthritis, bone-on-bone). Sorry, I'm not going to do it. As long as I can walk, I will. If I start feeling unbearable pain, I'll have surgery. And then I'll STILL walk. Until I can't take another step. Then I'll ride my horse more.

Donna, if your knees ever hurt from riding try an english saddle. They are erally easy on the knees.

Mel, thanks Darlin. Actually you inspired that line in a round about way. I was thinking about the types of flirting people do. Years ago Tom Robbins wrote a piece for Esquire Magazine where he talked about smoking cigarettes is like flirting with the flame. You draw in and the flame glows brighter and then you pause and it pauses, like flirting.Anyway, reading about you quitting smoking brought that article back to mind.

Thanks L. You do know that I have read and understand poetry and have written it, but I just don't like it.

Actually, Guy used to do really well as a poet until that poetry competetion a few years back at Portland International Speedway.The competition hired a few thugs to work him over with clubs minutes before the wind-up to the final heat.There he was, black eyes, bloody nose, fat lip, reading about love, flowers and tommorrow.WOW! What a poetry warrior!

As one who is incurably unable to walk more than about 50 ft with a cane, I know about the running/walking in dreams. If only.I love the line as well, and we seem to be of like minds on the poetry subject:)